Nation

‘Isolated’ cases of shortage

PETALING JAYA: Cases of water shortage among the orang asli are isolated, said the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa).

Its director-general Datuk Mohd Sani Mistam said almost all orang asli villages had implemented the Water Supply and Environment Safety programme under the Health Ministry.

“Nevertheless, the department is still monitoring the water shortage crisis by communicating closely with orang asli village chiefs as well as Village Security and Development Committees,” he said in an e-mail to The Star.

He was responding to the crisis affecting orang asli communities in Tanjong Keruing in Pekan, Pahang, and Kampung Keliat in the Lojing district of Kelantan.

Mohd Sani said Jakoa was also getting the Pahang Water Supply Department to help the communities in Tanjung Keruing.

It had also informed the Rural and Regional Development Ministry of the status in Kampung Keliat as the matter was under the ministry’s purview, he added.

“If the water shortage crisis prolongs, Jakoa will request for help from the states to provide water supply trucks to the communities,” he said.